


Just Another Date

by Kralj



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, most characters only mentioned, pretty fluffy but with plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27653095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kralj/pseuds/Kralj
Summary: The bombing of Mako Reactor V has been delayed, giving Cloud the opportunity to come to Jessie's house and finally taste the Midgar Special.
Relationships: Jessie & Cloud Strife, Jessie Raspberry/Cloud Strife, Jessie/Cloud Strife
Kudos: 15





	Just Another Date

_Vroom. Vroom!_

Soaring from the maw of the slums, down the trainyards of the ‘shining beacon of civilization’, Cloud found himself on a trusty Hardy-Daytona. His fingers through leather gloves gripped the handles of the bike firmly, his eyes squinty as he adjusted to the neon lights of Midgar. Yet the grip and the wind in his hair was not the only feeling - a woman had one of her arms clung tightly to his chest with a small firearm in the other. That shieldmaiden was none other than Jessie Raspberry, and the two of them rode across the upper trainyards of the city that never slept. 

However, it wasn’t too long before a visitor arrived. He slid from atop the soldier pile and joined into the fray. His bike was a deep bright red decaled with flames. Looking closer, Cloud noticed there were two riders. The one at the front was dressed in a typical SOLDIER combat uniform - especially third class. His hair was a dirty blonde, up in a pompadour and long in the back as well. His guest was more mysterious - a feminine figure, covered in black and with a hood. Her face was completely obscured during the ride. 

“We’re back in the saddle - and this time, I’ve evened up the odds! To quick for the eye? You cross us, you die!” 

_Wait. I’ve -_ Cloud thought before the blonde man had sent a magic beam from his blade down the track. Quickly, Cloud swerved to the left and drew his sword in his right hand. He could feel the tug of Jessie with the sudden turn and tried his best to keep balance on the bike. Meanwhile, Jessie began to fire at their competitor’s bike. 

“Ugh. It’s this guy again? Cloud, take us closer!” she shouted, blasting bullets near his ear. 

“You’ll just never be quite quick enough! To ride, one must know the strengths of one’s bike, and it’s weaknesses!” replied the rider of the flamed vehicle. 

Cloud hit the throttle. _Roche! But how am I here?_ Cloud swerved off the steel and wood of the train tracks, preferring to ride instead on the gravel areas around. Neither was exactly ideal, and Cloud found himself bouncing on the bike. Within a few seconds, however, Cloud approached Roche’s bike and took a swing right at the back of the engine, leaving a dent in the red steel and breaking an exhaust pipe. Strangely, he felt a giant heat and swerved out of control moments after.

Flames burst from the back of his bike and coated the ground. The fire did not extinguish but remained on the ground, and like a rider from hell the bike created large streaks of fire along the trainyard. Roche again sent waves of magic slices toward Cloud’s position, yet that second passenger remained as still as ever. 

“Only one flame can dominate the fire!”

“Does this guy ever give up!?” Jessie remarked before suddenly gasping. The invisible enemy, those whispers and ghosts of a forgotten era had begun to flood the battlefield. They came from their tunnel exit, out of the maw of a great beast. Hundreds of those ghosts, the ones Cloud had seen with that flower girl during Mako Reactor I, began to line the soldier pile wall system. Cloud could barely see the wood and concrete which held it all. Yet gritting his teeth, Cloud pushed onward, pushing through rock and fire and managing another slice at Roche’s bike.

The bike slid and crashed into a wall, disappearing into the formless ghosts. The two passengers rolled along the ground before impact but seemingly appeared unhurt. Roche had been shot farther down the path than the covered woman. Cloud made his bike come to a quick stop, hopping off and approaching the black-covered woman. Her head was face down into the gravel. Kneeling down, Cloud rolled her over. 

“Tifa!?” shouted Cloud, seeing the young eastern girl, wrapped with scars across her face. Her eyes did not even open and she remained lifeless on the ground, almost as if she was sleeping. Turning his head over in the direction of Roche, he had noticed his hair had turned from a dirty blonde to a pale white. Jessie had gotten off the bike as well, rushing over to Tifa, her friend. Cloud drew his weapon from his back, inching forward toward Roche. 

Roche lightly laughed in a darker voice. “ ‘ There are still greater heights you and I can achieve ‘ “ he replied now in a mocking tone. As his face turned upward suddenly to see Cloud, his eyes were green and fused with blue. But it wasn’t Roche’s. 

_Sephiroth!_

Cloud drew his buster sword but before long he found a blade right through his stomach. About to scream, he woke up and shot out of his bed gasping for air and with a heart racing like a Harvey-Daytona. The first class SOLDIER’s eyes darted around the room, but he was nowhere near the top of sector seven’s plate. He was in the small apartment that Tifa had gotten him at the expense of the old granny Marle. His trusty buster sword was right next to him on the wall. In fact, it was not even morning - Cloud found himself in his ‘merc gear’, his baggy black pants, belt, black cotton sweater-tank, only his boots and shoulder pad remained off to the side on a table. 

_Whatever. It was just a dream._

The mission had been postponed, the bombing of Mako Reactor V. Jessie delivered the news in the morning in the Seventh Heaven bar, tucked quietly amongst the slums and underneath Midgar. Cloud, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge had spent the previous night tracking down new materials for the bomb after the ‘disaster’ of Mako Reactor I. Tifa’s face was relieved at the prospect, but Barret was annoyed at the mission’s delay. Cloud wasn’t hired for this next job, but not on account of skill. Still, Tifa and the rest of Avalanche had assured him of further work and so he remained in the slums of sector seven.

After the meeting, Cloud had gone back to his small apartment for this nap. Marle of course made some comment about his stature and Tifa, but after listening for a few moments he pushed her aside mentally and headed toward his room. He was sitting on the edge of his bed now. Closing his eyes, Cloud tried to recall memories about that event five years ago - whether intentionally or sadistically was unknown. Sephiroth. Nibelheim. _How could he turn so quickly, and Tifa, how_ \- thought Cloud before he felt pain ring at the sides of his head. One hand quickly went to hold his head, his fingers digging into his blonde hair. 

Cloud took a deep breath and stood up tall. _I’m fine._ Biggs had asked to see him, maybe there was some small work. Cloud shook his head for a moment. He had forgotten, but he had reluctantly agreed the other night to come over to Jessie’s home as well, although he was not quite sure in her sincerity with her final “psyche!”. _Well, I’m not doing anything else._ He sheathed his sword on his back, its rightful resting place, and suited up. With a quick nod of his head, Cloud opened the door of his apartment and left his tiny apartment, embracing the light of the day. 

Cloud winded himself through several streets of the slums, occasionally bumping into children running across the road and the destitute of the slums. Cloud looked at them for a moment, especially one poor man laying on the side of the road. His clothes were ragged and he appeared to be a man without a home. Barret would probably have made a comment about that man - that it was Shinra and their harvesting of Mako that caused the plight of the man. _To be without a home._ There’d be some kind of feeling - and there was for Cloud, but he couldn’t quite say what.

Biggs was spending his time in a small warehouse above a local armory in the slums. When they weren’t the cause of billions in damages, Avalanche liked to spend the days helping the common folk of the slums. They’d protect the borders of the town from monsters or help with minor jobs like that water filter replacement. Cloud had expected another security sweep, and his guess wasn’t too far off. Biggs sat on the edge of a crate, cleaning his gun of soot and carbon. He had a wide smile on his face. 

“Cloud! You were pretty good last night on the bike. How was the jump?”

Like birds of the sky, to escape from the top of Midgar’s plate to the bottom of the slums, Cloud, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge had leaped from a pipe and used a parachute. Cloud remembered as well, he did never get the chance to see Biggs after. 

“Wedge took some motivation. He showed me around after we landed too,” 

Biggs continued to smile. His jet black hair always seemed full of life, and his red bandana wrapped around his head just added to it. “I’ve got the feeling he may have introduced you his trio, Biggums, Reggie, and Smalls…” Biggs took another gun and began to take it apart. “You know, he really looks up to you, Cloud. You’ve done a lot of great work for us - I’m glad Tifa managed to catch you,” 

Cloud shrugged. _It’s my job._ “So. You got anything else I can kill?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do. People are saying there’s something lurking at the trash site and who else might be able to stop it other than a ‘first class soldier’? There's a cut of it in for you, I’ll even pay in advance,” Biggs explained, pulling a small wallet of gil from an open toolbox. “But…”

“You guys really love to make propositions, don’t you?” remarked Cloud, thinking back of how Jessie had roped him into the warehouse theft mission. Though to her credit, she had paid Cloud handsomely with the Ifrit materia. Summoning materia like that was hard to come by, especially down here in the slums. “What is it this time?”

“I heard from a bird on the street you might be spending the night at Jessie’s,”

“And what if I am?” 

Biggs remained silent for a moment, jerking parts in place for the next gun. “I’ve seen it time and again. That girl has left a trail of broken hearts from here to Wall Market. She’s also had her share of broken hearts and disasters too. Jessie, she’s like a younger sister for Wedge and I. After everything I’ve seen, I just… I don’t want to see her get hurt again. So…”

The SOLDIER first class remained idle at his post, standing tall and firm in the middle of a secluded storage room. Cloud wasn’t really sure what to say for a moment. He hadn’t even really thought about the implications of Jessie’s invitation either, he’d mostly just wanted her to get off of him at that moment. The night had been long, especially with Roche’s desire for a new dance partner. 

“Just don’t do anything stupid. Like Wedge, you’re starting to grow on me. I think you might feel the same way about us as well, even if you’re so hardboiled all the time,”

“Alright, but no promises.” 

At the outskirts, winds hollowed along barren rock. The reports had been right, monsters were roaming the scrapyards of Sector Seven. Lesser drakes, winged beasts that took to the sky breathing fire roamed among the ruins. For the “one man army” as Biggs put it, Cloud found himself effortlessly slaying them. Not only was he stronger, but the Mako infusions of the SOLDIER program gave him extra dexterity, endurance, and jump height. While Cloud dispatched the monsters, he found his mind drifting off to his nap’s dream. 

_What a weird guy, but I have to give it to him. He put up a good fight last night._ When Cloud was young he had dreamt of leaving his home of Nibelheim and becoming a SOLDIER, Shinra’s elite guard. Sephiroth, the greatest among them, was a war hero and hailed all around. _I became a SOLDIER._ But Sephiroth quickly turned from friend to mass murderer in the final days. His dream was accomplished, here he stood stronger than man and beast, yet something was wrong, and Roche, and Sephiroth, and Z-, and…

Cloud put his hand to his head again. The headaches started up. At this point, he’d just learned how to handle the madness. He wasn’t sure what to do. _It’s just the Mako._ Thankfully, the pain had gone away after a few moments. The drakes too were dead, their blood glistening in the shade of the setting sun. One last thing remained on his mind. 

He hadn’t wanted to, but Cloud found himself walking toward Jessie’s home. She’d told him that the rest of the girls of the house would be gone for that night and that she'd make dinner. Wedge had mentioned it was a home for aspiring actresses. He had also mentioned a warning. _“Life’s the stage and love’s the play.”_. Cloud had done a thing or two, he was grown and twenty two, but for the most part he had avoided nights like this. Still, he went, if not for Biggs’s talk. 

Night had fallen in the city. Cloud casually walked through alleyways under incandescent bulbs until he had reached the small flat. He was surprised that such a tiny place could fit six girls, but regardless he was there. He lifted his hand and knocked on a bright green door. 

After a few moments of tense waiting, the door creaked open and a lively woman appeared before him. Her hair was long, thick, brown, and beautiful - wrapped up in a nice ponytail, but missing her red Avalanche bandanna. The lack of red was made up in a red polka dot shirt with matching white pants. Her smile was wide and bright, welcoming the SOLDER in. 

“Cloud! You came, come on inside,” 

Oven cooked pizza. The aroma hit Cloud like a truck as soon as he entered Jessie's home. Cloud took a moment to take off his gear, setting apart his shoulder pad and gloves on a small table. Looking at Jessie’s red polka dot shirt as she turned to the kitchen for a moment, Cloud looked back at his own sweater. _Right…_

“What’s on the menu?” asked Cloud, stirring conversation. 

“You didn’t get a taste of my mom’s Midgar Special! So, I thought I’d make it for you tonight. You deserved it after all the hard work. It’ll be ready in just a few moments, have a seat!” 

Cloud found himself smirking for a moment, but did his best to hide it. _Who’s spunkier - You, or the flower girl?_ The first class SOLDIER took a seat at a decently sized wooden table, clearly meant for more than just two. After the few hours he spent out in the scrapyards of the slums, Cloud found his stomach rumbling. For a moment, he was hesitant to deal with his sword. Given the size of the table, he opted to rest it on one side of the table - handle near him, and pointy end near Jessie. Jessie was still messing with a few pots and ingredients at the kitchen.

“How’d you get your roommates out?”

Jessie laughed for a moment. “Oh, I’ve gotten pretty good at it now, and I think they’re smart enough to take the hint at this point,” she replied before a sudden beeping came from the oven. Jessie put on some gloves and delivered a pizza, piping hot, straight out onto the table.

Cloud’s eyebrow raised, but just a smidge. “And Avalanche?”

Jessie frowned for a moment. “Ah, let’s not talk about work tonight. Besides, I’ve got this fresh pizza made just for the one and only Cloud Strife!” 

Red, thick, and potentially delicious - the Midgar Special was a deep dish style, straight from the pan. The crust was as thick as Bigg’s wallet and the sauce was more akin to a casserole than a pizza. Still, Cloud had to admit to himself it did look tasty. The other night, Jessie had listed off all the ingredients - Marche, luche, black milly, red shelley, all kinds of exotic spices that the first class SOLDIER had yet to taste - or perhaps know. Jessie took a knife and cut out a piece of Midgar, serving it to Cloud. _Sector seven, I bet._

While Jessie arranged a few pots and took a seat at the table, Cloud raised the thick pizza with his hand and dug in. It was rich and heavy in sauce, chease, meat, and even a bit of random leaf like vegetables. It had a certain kind of spice to it as well, though Cloud was man enough to handle it. Without much hesitation, Cloud took another piece and ate while Jessie remained at her seat. 

“So? What you think?” 

Cloud tilted his head. “It’s actually good,” he responded, in a tone of voice that suggested that expectations had gone better than planned. 

Jessie smirked. “It’s only good, huh? Not perfect? Great? Amazing? Best thing you’ve had this side of Midgar?”. Daggers were flying. 

“I, uh, um..” Cloud choked, somehow taking another bite. “No, no, It’s” 

“Ah, don’t worry about it!” Jessie said, taking bites of her own. “I can tell you like it. I see right through you, merc,”. 

_Is that so?_ Cloud figuratively rolled his eyes. Still, things weren’t going so bad. The two of them began to chit chat about their day. Jessie mentioned that she’d had to track down a few of the ingredients and kick her roommates out. Cloud mentioned his encounter with Biggs and the drakes in the slums, but conveniently left out his odd dream. After a few slices were shared between the two of them, Jessie took the rest of the pan and carved out the pieces for later, putting them in the fridge. 

Afterward, Jessie took some glasses and placed them on the table. Wine glasses. From a cabinet, she pulled out a rare wine grown near Costa Del Sol. Cloud was intrigued that she had it, but spoke up. 

“Ah, I’m not that big of a fan…” Cloud remarked, watching Jessie pour the glasses despite his protests. _Although wine’s not too bad. It could have been beer..._

The polka dot girl laughed. “Uhuh. Yet you work for a ‘bar’,” 

Cloud explained. “Alcohol, it dulls the senses. I’m an ex-SOLDIER, but I’m still ready at any moment's notice. If I drink, then it’s the hard stuff,” His eyes drifted to his buster sword, which had mostly gone unnoticed by the two of them on their date. Still, Cloud wrapped his fingers around the glass and lifted for a drink. _Pretty fruity._

“No, no, you can’t drink now! Who’s going to protect me when someone comes knocking through the door?” 

“You’ve made your bed, now you’ll just have to sleep in it,”. Cloud took another drink from the wine, finding himself enjoying the taste after the oil and richness of the Midgar special. He leaned back in his chair, relaxed. 

Jessie took a sip of her own. “Are you staying the night?” she asked awkwardly. 

_Why not?_ “How else am I supposed to protect you?” It’ll be pretty hard all the way from my apartment,”. The glass was nearly empty, and Cloud found himself grabbing the bottle and pouring a bit more. 

“Oh, you are just so sweet!” Jessie gleefully cheered. The two of them laughed and drank, sharing small stories about their mutual friends or recalling previous missions. Cloud had entered Jessie’s home with a blank expression on his face, but he found a smile ever so creeping on his pretty face. Eventually, Cloud had stood up to stretch for a moment, noticing a couch off in the distant corner.

With a hand, he beckoned Jessie to come to which she agreed, carrying the glasses and bottles to another small coffee table in front of the couch. Placing them aside, she sat next to Cloud. The gap between them was small, but it was still there. 

“So…” Cloud started. “Wedge mentioned that you had wanted to be an actress at the Golden Saucer. Will you go there after all of this?” 

The wine was starting to get to their heads. Jessie stared off in the distance as she answered. “Sometimes I wonder if there’s ever gonna be an after all of this. The disaster at Mako Reactor I, I’m not as soft as Tifa about all of it, but still, the deaths…” 

“You didn’t have a problem with the Shinra guards,”

Jessie’s bright face turned to Cloud, but her hazel eyes now burned with fire. “Shinra took my father. They deserve what they got. But not everyone on the plate is bad, so then what do I deserve..?” She took another drink and covered her face. 

Noticing the situation, Cloud inched closer to Jessie and threw an arm around her shoulder, inviting her into the comfort of his chest. Jessie readily accepted, cocooning herself and grabbing hold of one of Cloud’s lean and muscular arms. In truth, Cloud knew how much of a crush Jessie had on him since the bombing of Mako Reactor I, but to be in the moment was a different feeling entirely. Now, he tried his best to guard her again.

“I live this double life… some people know about what I do, but most think I’m just the normal girl of Sector Seven, but… before I go on, can I ask you something Cloud?” 

“Yeah?”

Jessie was silent for a few moments. “Tifa, she’s my friend, one of the only ones I have truly, and she knows about everything, and… is there something going on between you two?” 

_Tifa._ The weight of that name was like a thunderbolt to his ears. “It’s… complicated. You might think you understand what that means, but you don’t. Something bad happened to our home... Look, tonight - it’s just me and you. I promise.” 

With her soft claws Jessie found herself digging deeper into Cloud, with both of his arms now wrapped around her red polka dot chest. Jessie undid her ponytail, causing her long brown hair to flood Cloud as well, even near his mouth. Cloud didn’t find himself complaining though and took her under his wing. She was beautiful. Not only was she beautiful on the outside, certainly more than the average girl, her shredding of armor endeared Cloud. He couldn’t explain why, but it just made her all the more beautiful. 

“What about you?” 

_Good question._ “I don’t know… I was drifting along until I ran into Tifa. She got me the job working for you guys. I was going to skip town, but I guess I’ll be here for awhile,”. Cloud let out a small laugh and pulled out the red Ifrit Materia from last night, his payment and gift. “I feel like there’s a recurring theme here, you guys cajoling me into doing this and that. I should have asked for more money,” 

Giggling, Jessie let go of one of Cloud’s arms and ruffled his spiky blonde hair. 

“It’s too late now. A contract’s a contract, merc.” 

Less constrained by Jessie, Cloud reached over to his glass on the table and took a small drink. Jessie, no longer wishing to dangle her legs on the couch layed down on her side, conveniently in Cloud’s lap. Striking at revenge, Cloud ran his fingers through her brown hair and layed down similarly. With Jessie on top of him, she had practically become his new blanket. 

The night went on, and for the most part, the two of them remained quiet. The calorie truck of the Midgar Special, work, and wine had all taken its toll. For a moment, there was no longer any thought of Nibelheim or the Golden Saucer, nor a great dream of being a SOLDIER or an actress. Jessie and Cloud were quiet and content. Cloud wondered about the bedding situation. He’d been with a few others, but it hadn’t been deep. For now, he wanted to stay with Jessie, guarding her from a knock at the door as he did now. 

Jessie raised her head from Cloud’s chest. Her eyes were fluttering fast asleep, but she managed to get a few words out. “I’m… drifting off. But, don’t torture a girl like this,”. _You don’t give up either._ Somehow, Cloud knew what she was just trying to say. Taking in the brightness of her face and her half closed hazel eyes, Cloud leaned in and the two of them shared a kiss. In victory, Jessie put her head against the ex-SOLDIER’s chest and Cloud closed his eyes, smiling peacefully into sleep. They’d need the rest for tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! Not the longest thing I've ever written, but I had so much fun writing this. I think Jessie is an incredibly beautiful and tragic character, and the remake's parallels between Cloud's character is just great writing.


End file.
